Improvement in fruit-crates



L. SELLING.

Fruit Crates.

Patented July 29,1873.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS SELLING, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN FRUlT-CRATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,389, dated July 29,1873 application filed June 27, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs SELLING, of Detroit, in the county of Wayneand State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement inPacking Grates and Boxes; and I do declare that the following is a trueand accurate description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon andbeing a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspectiveview of my improved crate. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same unfolded.Fig. 3 is a perspective of the same folded for reshipment.

Like letters refer to like parts in each figure.'

The nature of this invention relates to the peculiar construction ofcrates, such as are used for packing crockery, so arranged that, afterhaving been used and shipped, they may be folded into a small space andreturned for repacking and reshipment, as may be required.

The rapid consumption of lumber and the consequent yearly increase invalue renders it important to so make packing-cases, crates, 850., thatthey may be employed overand over again, thereby reducing cost to bothmanufacturer and consumer. Ordinarily the practice is for themanufacturer and shipper to charge the cost of cases and crates to thepurchaser of their contents. On receipt of such cases, after beingunpacked, they are usually destroyed, or, it preserved, they are usuallythrown out of doors, where exposure to the weather soon ruins them forfurther use. With this construction an arrangement can be made by meansof which the purchaser may return them to the shipper,.to be credited tohis account, less the small amount charged for return freight; or, ifthe purchaser desires to retain the package for future use, he can foldthe same up and store, at a small expense of storage-room, under coverfrom the weather.

This invention is designed, also, to be an improvement 011 theconstructlon of packingcases as secured to me by Letters Patent datedDecember 17, 1872.

In the accompanying drawings, A is the bottom of the crate, to which thesides B O are secured by rings a, or by staples, hinges, or otheranalogous devices. Preferably, flattened rings, broad enough to till thespaces between the outer rods b and the adjacent rods 0, are used, sothat the rings will form rollers to facilitate the moving of the cratewhen heavily packed. These rings may be made of short sections of spiralsprings, which would add to the elasticity of the crate and lessen therisk of damage to its contents, if allowed to fall from any height inshipping. D is the top, secured at one side in a similar manner to theside 0. The ends E are secured one at each end ofthe sideB by staples,hinges, or otherwise, so that they will, when required, fold in upon theside and toward each other. The parts being constructed and securedtogether, as described, are then folded into the form shown in Fig. 1,whose ends are secured to. the top, bottom, and side 0 by means of thesmall bolts (1, the number used being governed by the size of the crate;and the top D is fastened by similar bolts to the top of the side A whenthe whole is complete.

To fold up for reshipment, the bolts are all removed, and the wholefolded into the shape and form shown in Fig. 3. When in this shape itmay be forwarded at the cost of shipping an equivalent number of feet oflumber.

What I claim as my invention, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of the bottom A, sides B 0, top D, and ends E with therings a and bolts d, when the parts are arranged as and for the purposesset forth.

LOUIS SELLING.

Witnesses:

THos. S. SPRAGUE, GHAs. E. HUEs'rIs.

